Breakthrough in Senate immigration talks; announcement set for Thursday  —  Senators seeking a solution to a deadlock over border security have reached a tentative agreement they believe could win the votes of a significant number of Republican lawmakers for the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Exodus International to Shut Down  —  Thirty-seven-year-old ministry for those with same-sex attraction marks its last national conference  —  Irvine, Calif. (June 19, 2013) — Exodus International, the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality announced tonight …

James Gandolfini Is Dead at 51; a Complex Mob Boss in ‘Sopranos’  —  James Gandolfini, the Emmy Award-winning actor who shot to fame on the HBO drama “The Sopranos” as Tony Soprano, a tough-talking, hard-living crime boss with a stolid exterior but a rich interior life, died on Wednesday.  He was 51.

Power  —  You should decide now what kind of Supreme Court you want.  Don't wait until after the Justices hand down the Term's major decisions.  That will be too late.  Make a real choice now about how much power you think the Court should have - before your judgment is skewed by either elation or outrage at the results.

Barack Obama bombs in Berlin: a weak, underwhelming address from a floundering president  —  When John F. Kennedy delivered his “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate on June 26, 1963, 450,000 people flocked to hear him.  Fifty years later a far more subdued invitation …

Virginia Lt. Gov. Candidate Says Social Programs Hurt ‘Black Family’ More Than Slavery (Video)  —  The Virginia GOP's nominee for lieutenant governor, E.W. Jackson, gave a speech Wednesday in which he claimed government social programs have done more harm to the “black family” than slavery.

The Do-Nothing Congress Has Done a Lot  —  Perhaps, like approximately 80 percent of Americans, you disapprove of Congress.  Beholding the nation's capital, you are apt to see a sleazy, gridlocked mess, a Boschian hellscape of partisan acrimony and special-interest greed.

Rodney Davis team member issues racist rant attacking Erika Harold  —  To understand why the Illinois Republican Party keeps losing elections - look no further than the racist rant (copied below) from a GOP party official.  —  The email was sent to Republican News Watch's Editor …

Democrats start transition from President Obama to Hillary Clinton  —  Democrats in Washington are starting to shift from the Obamas to the Clintons.  —  Hillary Clinton has already racked up a couple of endorsements for the 2016 presidential race — and she hasn't even announced she's running yet.

Manchin hits back at NRA in new TV ad  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday hit back at the National Rifle Association, accusing its leaders of shifting their stance on background checks for political gain, and unveiling a new television ad defending his bipartisan gun-control measure.

House votes to let states run drug tests on food stamp applicants  —  The House late Wednesday voted to give states the authority to conduct drug testing on people applying for food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  —  By voice vote, members approved the idea …

Paranoia Strikes Deep: The Press and Rand Paul  —  The absurd lengths journalists have gone to portray the Kentucky senator as if he's hiding something dangerous  —  Critiques of democracy are as old as the excesses of the Athenian variety.  Here's a classic: The unmediated masses …

Using ObamaCare To Create A Permanent Democratic Majority  —  If you have to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn't be doing it.  —  But the California legislature and the new Covered California health insurance exchange are conspiring to keep secret how they will dole out more than half …

Sex, Lies and the War on Men  —  The rights of the accused are under vicious attack.  —  A massive twit-storm washed over your humble columnist yesterday, set off by our Wall Street Journal op-ed defending an Obama nominee and the rights of criminal defendants.

Democratic groups launching ad against McConnell  —  Senate Majority PAC and Patriot Majority USA are launching a sustained campaign against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), starting with a television ad launched Thursday that hammers him for his decades-long tenure in Congress.

Heritage, Levin Call for Immigration Debate  —  Paul Ryan issued a challenge.  —  The Heritage Foundation picked up the challenge.  —  Mark Levin wants to see this debate as well.  —  It's time — past time — for a full and open discussion in the conservative family about immigration.